Body Shock
by JokerGrace
Summary: When Caine, Drake, Diana, Sam, Astrid and Orc are lured to the Gaiaphage, they get more then they expected. With their minds trapped in anothers body, how will they cope! Rated T for some language. Very cracky.
1. Prologue: A slight mixup

**Okay, so here is the prologue to my new story, Body Shock. A word of warning: it's a bit slow, but I promise it'll get better in the next chapter. This is just me setting things up. Please stick with it! Also, it gets very confusing. Veeeeeery confusing. I present to you my (first!) multiple chapter story... Body Shock! I think it will be dedicated to the lovely miss-midget, who has returned to Fanfiction in a blaze of glory. She's totally awesome. **

**Before I forget, I have no idea when it is set. Let's say that in Hunger, Drake attempted to kill Diana, didn't do a great job and got punished by Caine BUT NOT KILLED. Caine, Drake and Diana are still the Coates Trio, and not enemies. Panda is also alive, because I like him and couldn't be bothered to work out a time scale. xD Oh, and Lana wasn't called by the Darkness because the author hates Lana and because it only called to it kids who had attacking powers. **

**This is only half serious. Next chapter is going to be slightly crazy.**

**Now... ONWARDS!**

* * *

Little Pete's fingers stabbed at the Game Boy, but his efforts were fruitless. Nestor had planned everything out long ago; it had hatched its revenge deep beneath the surface of the earth and coaxed it to life like the hatching of a grotesque, demonic baby. Pete continued to play his game, never taking his eyes off the screen. He took a step forwards.

And another.

Little Pete travelled with his head down, neither aware of the fact he was moving nor the reason why he had begun to walk. The Gaiaphage had him, and he was like a fish being reeled in on the end of a fishing rod. Its efforts would be fulfilled.

With a little help, the Gaiaphage would kill Nemesis.

* * *

Caine sat silently in his office with Drake and Diana, pouring over an old map of Perdido Beach. He had been ranting for hours, concocting a dozen plans in the process, and was looking for the best place to attack the small town. Not that he thought that idea would _work;_ but it just felt good to have that kind of knowledge. Diana was daydreaming in her chair, biting her thumbnail in a very Caine-like gesture. Drake's head was folded into his arms, and it was unclear as to whether he was still awake. There was no sound, other than the breathing of the Coates trio and the tick of the clock, sounding like a mechanical heart.

_Come…_

_Come to me…_

Caine jumped and Drake's head sprang from the cradle he had made out of his arms. It couldn't be…

"What?" asked Diana, glancing between the two of them. "What is it?"

Neither answered; both boys were straining their ears in an attempt to catch a whisper of the voice.

Diana pinched Caine lightly on the arm. "_What?" _

He spoke to her out of the corner of his mouth almost absentmindedly, still listening out. "I heard it. It's back."

No-one had to explain what 'it' was.

Diana blinked in surprise. "That's impossible. You said –"

_Come to me._

Caine could feel its influence tugging at him, attempting to drag him to the mine shaft, to the underground cavern in which he'd writhed in agony for days…

"Someone get Panda. We're going for a drive."

* * *

"Sam?"

Sam woke up groggily, unable to remember where he was. Head spinning, stomach hollow. He was a mess.

"Sam?"

Astrid's face swam into view, and even half asleep Sam could tell something was wrong. Astrid's face was pale in the moonlight, and he could see tear tracks on her cheeks as clearly as if they'd been scars. He held down the fear that had threatened to rise up in him, curling it into a tight ball.

"What is it, Astrid?"

"It's Petey."

Sam felt his stomach drop. When it came to Little Pete, the news was hardly ever good.

"He's missing."

* * *

Orc was drunk. He staggered past the day care, mumbling to himself about cupcakes. He liked cupcakes. Cupcakes were good. Not like him.

"I am not a cupcake," he informed a nearby lamppost. It didn't answer.

He wished he could be good. Be kind and nice – not that many people were in the FAYZ.

He looked down at his arms and sighed. They were coated in that disgusting gravel. What he would give to feel soft skin, which he'd once foolishly taken for granted. He'd never take his body for granted again.

An idea blossomed in the darkness like a nocturnal flower. He'd go back to the sight where it had happened. Where the coyotes had ambushed him and… he'd changed. He lumbered away, to where he hoped the town ended.

* * *

Sam and Astrid had left a note for Edilio on the side, explaining where they'd gone and why. The two of them had talked it over in low voices, eventually deciding to leave Edilio and anyone who might aid their search in Perdido Beach. If Zil and the Human Crew heard that they were leaving, they'd make a grab for control. The same was true of Sam's brother, Caine, and nobody wanted to risk that. There was also a small part of Sam that was afraid that he and Astrid were walking straight into danger. He was risking their lives, and couldn't risk his friends on top of that.

"Where do we start?" Sam asked. Searching for Pete was all too similar; they'd had to do that in the beginning. Maybe they'd come full circle.

Astrid was biting her lip, ignoring the pain when she broke through the skin and tasted blood. Here was another question that the genius couldn't answer. "I… don't know. He wouldn't just leave! You don't think – what if someone kidnapped him?"

Sam frowned. "If it was Caine, we'd know about it. And I don't think it was the Human Crew; there are no signs of a struggle."

Astrid nodded in agreement.

_Come to me…_

The hairs on Sam's arms stood up in regimented lines.

_I am the Gaiaphage…_

Sam sucked in a breath. "Oh my God," he hissed, remembering what Lana had told him about the thing in the mine. The thing that he'd watched sink into the ground and disappear for what he had thought was forever. "It's got me too."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know where Little Pete's gone. And that means we're in big trouble."

* * *

The trek was long and hard. Neither of them spoke much, and the silence was filled with the scuffled scraping of their shoes. They were egged on now and again by the voice in Sam's head, which spoke with such command and power that Sam could now appreciate how difficult it had been for Caine to resist the Darkness.

The sun had not yet emerged from beyond the horizon, yet the air was humid, like a warm, thick soup. Sam and Astrid walked on determinedly, wiping sweat from their brows every other minute.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Astrid asked, her forehead creased in worry.

Sam paused. "I think so," he said. "It's getting louder, and I… can you feel it?"

Astrid looked at him blankly, so he didn't press the point.

They rounded an outcropping of rock, and just before Astrid could take a swig from the water bottle they'd had the foresight of bringing with them, a wave of light illuminated their surroundings. Astrid called out in surprise.

It was a car, filled with people Sam couldn't quite make out; the light was burrowing into his eyes, blinding him. Had someone found their note and decided to help?

A huge blow tackled Sam to the floor, knocking the air out of him with a whooshing noise. He heard Astrid give a yelp of surprise, and before he could spring up and attempt to defend her, an arm came out of nowhere and snagged him by the hair, forcing him to stand up.

"Look who it is," said an extremely familiar voice. "The elusive Sam Temple, off taking a midnight stroll with his girlfriend." Caine grinned down at him.

"Caine, man, we're not looking for trouble. We… have to do something. Something important."

Caine nodded in mock-interest. "I see. And what is this oh-so-important job that the two of you have to do?"

Sam dragged his sandpaper tongue across his lips before swallowing. "I can't tell you."

Caine cocked an eyebrow and nodded to Sam's captor. Sam heard the click of a gun, and he could have sworn the temperature in the desert dropped by at least ten degrees. There was a harsh, cool laugh and his hope plummeted even further. It was Drake, and he wouldn't bluff.

Caine looked Sam in the eyes, disgust etched onto his face, before turning to Drake. "Shoot him."

Astrid and Diana shouted out, one in panic and the other in anger, but the three boys acted as if they hadn't heard. They were listening to another voice.

"You're going to it too?" asked Caine. He sounded hollow; dead.

Sam didn't answer, which was as good as admitting it.

"Tie them up and put them in the car. We have to hurry."

* * *

Orc wasn't far away. He wasn't sure where exactly he'd been changed – it all looked maddeningly similar. Everything looked the same except for…

He could only just make out the figures. They were being illuminated by a car's lights as if they were under spot lamps. It was the glint of gold that caught his eye; Astrid was being pushed along by Panda. His eyes narrowed when Panda jostled her too violently and she staggered.

"No-one messes with Astrid," Orc glared before jumping down and heading after the travelling party.

* * *

When the car finally ran out of gas, Caine ordered his crew to get out and walk. Panda was guarding Astrid and Drake was guarding Sam, leaving Diana and him alone. She didn't meet his gaze, and he realised with a jolt of horror that he was leading her straight to the Darkness.

"Maybe you should go back," he hedged.

"Maybe we all should."

Caine sighed. He'd hoped that she would understand. "I have to get it out of my head. Otherwise it's always going to be in here. I thought it was gone. And it just keeps catching me again. I can't –" He was cut off by the sudden lump which had appeared in his throat. He gulped and attempted to get rid of it. Caine Soren didn't cry, especially not in full view of everyone.

They were approaching the old mining town now. Diana shuddered when she saw the empty windows; it was like seeing an empty eye socket. The ghosts of the past still seemed to linger on, and Diana could almost smell the stench of death – her death. She remembered the last time she had passed through this town, and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

Diana didn't believe in ghosts, but she couldn't help wondering.

A sudden white shape appeared out of the gloom, and her scream filled the night air. Caine shouted her name and swept out an arm, trying to push her behind him, but by that time they'd worked out what the thing was.

"Petey!" gasped Astrid in relief, but Drake cut her off.

"Silence!"

Diana took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. She saw Drake smirk as he walked past, mumbling something that sounded like "coward". Git. She allowed the resentment to bubble inside of her and whispered "psycho", loud enough for him to hear.

They marched on towards the cave, leaving Panda to turn back and guard the now useless car. Little Pete continued to play his game in the dark, whimpering as the group of kids got dangerously close to the mine entrance.

* * *

Orc heard a female's voice scream just as he was about to collapse on the floor. Astrid? He forced himself onwards, clenching his fists. If they hurt Astrid…

His huge legs propelled him with a burst of speed, his nerve finally breaking. He started running before he could stop himself. He didn't even see Little Pete.

* * *

They were coming. The Darkness knew they were close. They passed through the entrance, and it felt a shiver of anticipation. As soon as it took control of them, it could kill Nestor. It would be able to...

Another child had followed them inside, a child of huge magnitude, made of rock.

The Gaiaphage felt a surge of terror. That boy would ruin everything. It would have to act now…

The Darkness broke through the flimsy mental barriers of the children as if they were made of tissue paper. They needed their minds no longer. They were its puppets.

It flung out their consciousnesses and poured itself into their heads, triumphant as it gained control of their bodies. Hands! It flexed the fingers of the dark haired girl, delighting in the feeling. As the rock boy it moved its neck, and it used Caine to speak.

"You loose, Nemesis."

* * *

Little Pete had crept to the edge of the mine entrance. He knew Astrid was inside. Astrid was his sister. Astrid was… good.

He could sense what Nestor was doing.

His fingers pressed at the Game Boy keys frantically, and he used all of his power. Little Pete _pushed. _Pushed everything out of their minds before reassembling them all back together.

The Gaiaphage screamed, but it no longer owned a mouth.

* * *

Caine breathed deeply, as if it was the first breath he'd taken in years. In truth, it felt like it was.

The Darkness had had him. Had trapped him and used him and…

He wanted to vomit.

But he had his mind back. His control back.

* * *

The six kids lay panting on the floor, whimpering in alarm. For a long time, none of them moved, the rise and fall of their chests the only indication that they were still alive. Astrid was the first to sit up straight. She masked her expression as if ashamed of her fear.

"Now that," she said loudly. "Was some crazy shit."

Someone groaned in answer, and the six teenagers, Perdido Beach and Coates Academy alike, crawled from the cave, half dragging themselves along the rugged ground.

"Thanks, Petey," said Orc gratefully. Everyone turned to look at him in shock, and a dim-witted look of surprise crept up on his face.

He glanced down at his gravel coated body, turning his hand over in surprise; as if that was the first time he'd seen it. "Why the heck am I now Orc?"

"Excuse me?" asked Caine, looking thoroughly confused. He kept sending long glances at Astrid.

Orc stood up slowly, in shock. "I'm Astrid." Orc pointed at Astrid. "And that's _my_ body."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "What?" she snapped angrily. "You shut your big mutant mouth, Orc, or I'll whip you 'till –"

They were cut off by Drake screaming. Astrid span around and stared at Drake in absolute shock.

Drake was staring at his whip in horror. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

He tried to back away from it, but it just moved with him. "SOMEONE GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

Astrid closed her open mouth and dived at Drake. "Get off my whip!"

Drake gave another girly scream. "IT'S MOVING! I CAN FEEL IT _MOVING!_"

"Everyone be quiet!" Orc roared, his voice echoing. "I can see that there is perfectly reasonable and logical – well, the logic is dubious at best, but in consideration of our present circumstances, I would hasten to add that there is a strong basis of logic at least to our situation."

The fact that something like that came from Orc's mouth shut everyone up.

Sam turned and looked at Caine. "What?"

"The Darkness entered our heads," explained Orc patiently. "And Petey, in a knee jerk reaction, got rid of it. But I think… he switched our minds round." Orc pointed to himself. "I'm Astrid. And yet I seem to be inside of Orc's body. And I – sorry, my body – is housing Drake."

"That's bullshit," snapped Astrid, making everyone immediately agree with Orc's – or Astrid's – theory.

"So who's inside of Drake's body?"

Everyone looked at Drake, who looked incredibly upset. "I'm Diana! I don't want to be Drake!"

Caine sniggered. "I'm Sam," he explained. "Who's in my body?"

Everyone turned to look at Sam, who blinked slowly, not understanding for a few seconds. "Oh. I'm Orc."

Caine's mind was whirring. This was so messed up. And it also meant that he was…

He looked down at his fingers, his arms, his chest…

"YES!" He cried, punching the air. "I'm Diana!"

* * *

**The prologue is finished! YEY! I know it was quite choppy, but the changing narrative is meant to highlight the confusing tone. I don't know. :P If you need some help with what the heck is going on, PM me or leave me review asking for help.**

**And if you can't remember, have this!**

**Orc's body - Astrid's mind**

**Astrid's body - Drake's mind**

**Drake's body - Diana's mind**

**Diana's body - Caine's mind**

**Caine's body - Sam's mind**

**Sam's body - Orc's mind**

**I know it's confusing, but stick with it! Thank you for reading, and please leave me a review! Anyone who does will get a thank you cookie. *Waves cookies in the air***


	2. One: Splitting up

**First off, I am so so so so so so so so so so [insert 50 "so"s here] sorry. No updates for ages. I'm a terrible person. And when I do update, it's an iffy chapter. Still, I hope you haven't abandoned me! :(**

**Right, I have to be quick because I'm kind of sort of meant to be in bed right now. Oops. It's my mum's birthday today, and they're all in the lounge watching Inception, and I'm missing it because I HAD to update. It's been bugging me all week.**

**Beta: Atchair. I tried to improve it, but this was a really hard chapter for me. Still, YOU'RE THE BESTEST BETA EVER! 3**

**This is dedicated to all my lovely, beautiful reviewers. Body Shock is officially my most read story! Woo! 17 reviews... I nearly died when I realised that xD. So, in no order, I want to give shout outs to... Atchair, HungryInTheDarkForNachosLOL, Lee Ang, miss-midget, cheenyoo, WinchesterLover, Arrowkid21 (thanks for the kick up the bum you gave me, otherwise this would have taken a lot longer!), Gerkyhen, Nicole Rayne, Gretchen123, kylexdamien, WOKgeotobi, ARandomBlonde, FlashOutOfTheSky, Clovers-Charm, Only if you wish it. and AlejandroTheGleek. (Phew!) THANK YOU SO MUCH! Cookies all round! **

**In my attempt not to confuse everyone, me very much included, here's a little guide thing telling you who's in whos body. **

**Orc's body - Astrid's mind**

**Astrid's body - Drake's mind**

**Drake's body - Diana's mind**

**Diana's body - Caine's mind**

**Caine's body - Sam's mind**

**Sam's body - Orc's mind**

**And when I'm telling the story, if I mention Drake, for example, I WILL mean Drake's mind and not his body. So if I mention that Drake flicks Astrid's hair out of his face, I hope you'll understand what I mean.**

**Enough grovelling! On with the story!**

* * *

Little Pete stared at his world, his only reality. It rested between his hands, snug between his thumbs. The Game Boy illuminated his face, the sun in his personal universe.

Everything else was wrong.

Wrong was an understatement.

* * *

Deep in the desert, nestled between two large outcroppings of rock was a group of messy, worn-out looking kids. There were deep furrows in the sand, showing how each of them had dragged the bodies that weren't theirs to this point. They had been attempting to find their way back to the shell of the car and cook up a plan once by it (it seemed a safe a place as any), but Orc had blurted out what had sounded in his head to be a good plan. And he felt like it was kind of his responsibility to come up with some sort of idea anyway, seeing as he was in Sam's body, and Sam was the leader of Perdido Beach. The sun rose wearily, illuminating the dusty scene in its fiery orange glow.

"So you're telling me," Drake snarled through teeth that were clenched so tightly they looked liable to be crushed mercilessly. "That our great, master plan is… to do nothing?"

Orc shrugged Sam's shoulders. They were strong and broad, but nothing compared to the gigantic body Orc was used to. The light weight was almost alien – a relief. "Uh. Yeah. I guess." If Orc had learnt one thing about the FAYZ, it was to think before doing something you'd likely to regret. Thinking. In the old days, Orc might have scoffed at that, let alone actually have come up with some sort of sketchy plan, no matter how lame.

Drake contorted Astrid's shrewd, normally passive face into one of complete insanity. Her eyes, cornflower-blue, swam with pent-up rage, and for the first time, a hint, a shadow of the psychopath emerged on her pretty face. "Let's get this clear. I. Want. My. Body. And I'm not parading round as a girl just to pacify the Human Crew. You got that?"

"What's the alternative, Merwin?" Diana snapped, cringing slightly as Drake's voice came from the mouth she controlled.

Drake stared at his body. Things had gone crazy – well, crazier. Now he was arguing with himself. It was odd seeing his body being controlled by someone else – Diana moved almost jerkily, not used to the feeling of his whip as it swayed slowly, like a python. She moved with none of Drake's normal control.

"I think Orc's right," said Sam, piping up. "I… I'll go back to Coates with Caine and Diana. And Drake, you'll have to go with Astrid, Orc and Little Pete."

"I'm not leaving _her _in my body," Drake hissed, nodding Astrid's head at Diana. He didn't trust anyone, but Diana would be right at the bottom of his list when it came to something like this.

"You think you've got problems." Diana was eyeing Caine pointedly, although he didn't notice; too busy clambering up from the dusty desert ground.

"Okay," Caine commanded, predictably attempting to gain some form of control over the situation. "Sam, Diana, we're setting off. It'll take a lot longer getting to Coates now that the car's dead. And right now, Panda's either been eaten or is waiting for us." Caine did not sound too bothered about his driver's fate either way.

"Fine," Sam answered grudgingly. It would be a test – and a hard one at that. Hopefully Astrid would be able to figure out what was going on, or crack through to Little Pete and get him to understand that they needed to be changed back. And preferably soon. Sam turned to his girlfriend's body and grabbed her hand tightly. He moved a little closer to her, breathing in what she was exhaling. "Astrid, I –"

"Still Drake."

Sam blinked and simultaneously both boys jerked away from each other. Sam snatched his hand back as quickly as possible. "I will not be able to get used to that."

This time he turned to Orc's body and he had to crane his neck to meet Astrid's yellow-eyed gaze, refusing to be intimidated by the stone monster. "Look after yourself," he said softly, before brushing his lips on her gravel hand.

Diana and Drake simultaneously erupted into raucous laughter which echoed around the empty landscape. They stopped giggling to glare at each other, mad they were both finding the same thing funny, before dissolving into giggles again.

"Caine," Diana gasped, her whip twitching by her side. "You just kissed Orc!"

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

Orc sighed, trying not to get any more annoyed then he was already. He soldiered on.

"I _said_, are we there yet?"

The voice came from further behind now, and once again Orc ignored it, although a small voice in the back of his head was grumbling about how you'd need the patience of a saint to not get annoyed with Drake Merwin. He didn't like that saying. His mum used to say it. That bought back bad memories.

_Keep walking_…

"Hey morons!"

_Don't turn around…_

"I'M NOT TAKING ANOTHER STEP UNTIL YOU ANSWER ME!"

With a roar of frustration, Orc span wildly to face Drake, his hands clenched into tight fists, knuckles a death white. Astrid's body was sat on the desert floor, limbs crossed so tightly that they resembled straitjackets. Drake had been complaining all day, grating on the nerves of Orc and Astrid herself, who seemed at her wits end. In the exasperated glances they shared, Orc found it odd looking up at his own face. He found the gravel disconcerting – even more so when he remembered that was what people saw when they looked upon him.

"We gotta keep movin', Drake," said Orc in a growl, although it sounded much less intimidating in Sam's voice.

Drake glared. "Do you even know which way we're going?"

"Actually, we do," said Astrid importantly. "Orc and I travelled this way to get to the mine, Drake. Some of us keep an eye on our surroundings in case of great need."

Orc decided that that wasn't the best time to mention that he'd mostly been guessing the general direction and following Astrid. To him, desert was desert; the sand gave no clues as to which direction the town was in and one little spiky plant looked like another.

The sun beat down mercilessly on the three kids, who under normal circumstances would not have gone within a thirty meter radius of the others. The heat had an odd effect on the landscape. It caused it to shimmer slightly, kind of like the way the surface of a lake moved when a ripple was made in it. Orc made a mental note to ask Astrid about how that was caused, seeing as know wasn't exactly the time.

Drake had still not got up from the baking floor. Orc wondered if his butt was getting cooked. "Well – I'm thirsty."

Orc pulled off Sam's backpack, which they'd stored several water bottles inside of. They were lucky they still had it, after being thrown so unceremoniously into the back of the car by Caine's crew. Drake snatched the liquid and gulped at it greedily, draining almost a quarter of it without thinking about how long it might need to last or whether the others might be thirsty. He screwed the cap back on and tossed it carelessly over to Orc. There was no "thank you".

"Can we go now?" asked Astrid. She wasn't feeling tired yet; Orc's strong body gave her the strength she needed, and she felt like she probably could run the way back whilst carrying both Orc and Drake.

Drake shifted uncomfortably, mentally searching for something. It was that look that alerted Astrid. "Drake – you're tired."

Drake narrowed Astrid's eyes. There was a faint tinge of red brushed against the girl's face, and Orc guessed Drake had never readily admitted that he was physically weaker than his enemies. "I – no. Your body is. Weak." Drake sneered. "Normally, I could do all this and then have enough energy to take you all on in a fight –"

"This isn't normally," answered Astrid tersely. "Rest. I don't want to go back into my body and find that I've torn a ligament or am suffering –"

"Cut it out, genius."

Astrid fell silent before moving at a sluggish pace towards Orc. She spoke only loud enough so that he could hear. "When we get back to town, Orc, people will see you."

"Okay," said Orc. He didn't really understand the inflection in her voice.

"That means they'll see Sam's body. They'll think you are Sam." She gave him a long, calculating look. "Can you run a town, Orc?"

Orc gulped. Last time he'd come close, he'd had Howard helping him, mainly do all the long, boring planning. He'd been the muscle of the operation. Orc had seen Sam attempting to control the town. Sometimes he did it well, and other times… well, it was a hard job. The hardest, most important job that there was. When he got back, he'd be acting as a standard.

Could Orc do better than the hero of the FAYZ?

The answer was quite clearly written on his doubtful face.

* * *

Sam stopped without meaning to when he, Caine and Diana reached the great, wrought-iron gates of Coates Academy. He opened his mouth wide, almost literally drinking everything in. The outside of it showed a place that had obviously once been magnificent and had gone to seed in a very short amount of time – the many storied building reached up, looking as if it was attempting to grab onto the blue sky with grey slate fingers. The gardens on either side of the driveway were lush and green. However, the lack of adults had a telling effect on the once beautiful, immaculate school. The gardens may have been filled with greenery, but it grew, unkempt and untameable, higher than Sam's waist, weeds poking their heads out of cracks in the pavement. One of the walls of the school had been blown apart – even as he watched, several bricks crumbled and fell to the ground with muffled thuds. He could actually see inside the school through the blasted hole to the remains of one of the classrooms; the posters were torn, most not having survived whatever war had occurred here, and it was filled with general debris that may have once been desks and chairs. It was hard imagining students clutching books and answering questions in a place as broken as this.

"Are you coming or not, Sam?" Caine called in exasperation. Sam tore his eyes away – the look of the building had the same effect as a dead body; something you did not want to see and yet it drew the eye to it irresistibly – and shrugged before following him, pretending he wasn't fazed.

They entered through the doorway and Sam caught site of a huge, arching roof before kids began to obscure his vision. They stayed at a respectful, scared distance, but Sam could see their hollowed out cheeks, their sunken eyes. They could not stop themselves from asking.

"Did you bring some food?"

"Where did you go?"

"What happened, Caine?"

"Did you get food?"

Sam wasn't sure how the real Caine would react. When he'd taken over Perdido Beach, Caine had been calm and reassuring, but who knew how he acted when he didn't have to put on his mask? In the end, Sam raised his hands, asking for quiet. "People –"

It was a bad move. Kids screamed, and one boy dived down onto the floor, landing in a puddle of something suspicious looking.

"Sorry," said Sam, looking at his palms before realising. "Oh my God – do I have powers?" He had never thought about whether he'd still have his light or Caine's telekinesis. He made a mental note to test it out later, when he was alone.

"Of course you do," Sam heard Diana's voice say. He turned and saw that Diana's face was twisted into a snarl. Ah. So Caine wasn't too pleased with his performance so far. "You're the four bar," she – or Caine – said. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Caine, making him twist Diana's normally pouting mouth into a smile. "In fact," he said, flicking Diana's hair behind her shoulder and stepping closer to him. "You're the most powerful, amazing, awesome leader ever. Not to mention really _really _hot."

Diana growled – a scary, intimidating and not too unfamiliar sound to come from Drake's mouth. She flexed her whip in a threatening manner, making the kids stood around her back off – no-one wanted to be near Drake when he was mad – but Caine winked at her and looked back over at Sam. "In fact, you're so much better than your brother in every single way," he said, battering his eyelashes. "Especially when it comes to looks. Have I mentioned how attracted I am to you, Caine?"

Diana looked like she was prepared to strangle Caine – she would probably have already done it, but that meant hurting her own body. Sam could see the torn expression on her face and decided to help her out. Caine wasn't the only one who could play things that way.

"That's really nice, Diana," Sam said. "But I can't accept the praise. My brother Sam is a much better person than I can ever be."

Diana's expression turned into a scowl while "Drake" looked suddenly elated. "No, Caine. Sam is nothing compared to you."

"Sam is a much better person, Diana."

Caine lost his self control and crossed his arms like a child. "Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"SHUT UP!" Diana roared, Drake's voice amplifying the command. She glared at both of them. "If this is going to _work _you have to act like yourselves. Got that?"

The brothers nodded grudgingly. "Maybe we should go to your office then, _Caine_," said Caine pointedly. In the background, Sam saw Diana nodding Drake's head in agreement.

"Fine," Sam said, before putting on his most Caine-like expression of command. "Follow me." He began walking away, cutting through the shocked kids who had witnessed the odd spectacle.

"Caine?"

"What?"

"Your office is that way."

* * *

Howard looked over at Orc. At this time, Orc was normally lying back on the sofa, which had long since collapsed from the giant boy's weight, demanding that Howard beer him. It was like a little ritual – every night was the same, and that was fine for Howard because that meant no new surprises, no more trouble. Therefore Howard could not understand why exactly Orc was perched on the sofa, sat upright and formally with one leg crossed over the other, the way a female working in an office might sit. Even as he watched, Orc grabbed an old paperback novel (from where he'd found it, Howard did not know, for there were no books in the house they shared, Orc had seen to that) and began to read it. Not burn it or rip it, as Howard might have expected, but actually _reading,_ Orc's yellow eyes following the flow of sentences.

Howard had never seen Orc read a book before. He hadn't even known Orc _could_ read.

"Uh… Orc?" Orc continued to read, so Howard raised his voice. "Orc man?" Still no answer. "Orc!"

Orc looked up lazily, then seemed to realise something. "Oh! You're talking to me!"

Howard wondered if his friend had gone mad. "Of course I am," he said, annoyed he had been completely ignored. "How many other Orcs do we know?"

He had not meant to snap, and he was regretting it now. If Orc got mad, then that meant almost an hour and a half's worth of grovelling and shoe-licking before Howard had him back on side.

Luckily, it seemed, Orc did not get mad. Did not even blink.

"What did you want, Howard?"

Howard bit his lip before plucking up his courage and asking. "Orc, man… what are you reading?"

Orc held up the book for approval. "_Pride and Prejudice_, by Jane Austen. It's a classic. I – Astrid leant it to me."

"And is it… good?"

"Extraordinarily," Orc agreed. "I particularly like the characterisation of Elizabeth Bennet – feminism, of course, surfaced many years later, but had Miss Bennet been there, I feel confident in the fact that she would have joined the cause. Furthermore, the satirical beginning is incredibly witty. You should try it, Howard."

And Orc went back to reading.

Howard stayed in the same position for at least ten minutes, staring at his protector with wide, staring eyes and an open mouth. Had anyone come in and noticed him, they might think he had been frozen in a state of shock. It looked as if he would never move again.

But Howard was strong – although not in the same way as Orc – and he pulled himself together. Okay, so Orc liked reading novels by Jane Austen, had stretched his vocabulary to a breaking point and actually understood what feminism was. Howard thought he could just about cope with this new information. And then Howard had a brain wave on how he could get things back to normal.

"Orc man, do you want a beer?"

Orc barely looked up. "No thank you, Howard."

There was a colossal crash, making the gravel boy jump several feet. He looked around wildly for the source of the noise, and saw Howard lying on the floor.

He'd fainted.

* * *

**And so it ends!**

**Um... guys? *A tumbleweed blows past***

**Ah. **

**Well, if anyone's still there, please please please review! And now, because I'm going to get told off by mum and might as well do it properly, I'm going to kick off my new story, Take Off Your Mask. Quite excited about this - it was so much fun to write. Rambling now.**

**Please review! xD**


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